Investigation of planting possibility and cloning medicinal plant nepeta menthoides in different parts of Ardabil province and variability of effective materials in different elevations.

The genus Nepeta comprises about 300 species in Asia and Europe. The greatest diversity and richness of species is found in two areas, South-western Asia, especially Iran, and the Western Himalayas including Hindukosh.It is one of the largest genera of Lamiaceae in Iran where 75 species are found, of which 54% are endemic. Some species are used as medicinal herbs in Iran (for example, N. ispahanica, N. binaloudensis, N. bracteata, N. pogono-sperma and N. pungens), and N. crispa is used as a culinary herb. Nepeta menthoidse is grows as a wild species in Sabalan Mountain in Ardabil province. Ardabil province is a region in the North – West of Iran, this region has different climate conditions for example semi – tropical steppe, semi cold steppe. Ardabil also has different altitude from 20 m to 4811 m above sea level so, these conditions cause to increase the diversity of flora in this region . In this study, samples were collected from 1800 m a.s.l from sabalan Mountain and cultivated in three different sites in Ardabil province as following: The Ardabil medicinal plants, Khalkhal and Meshkinshahr researches stations. The essential oil obtained by steam distillation method. The percentage of essential oil on wild condition is between 1.6 % to 2.5 % and the highest percent of essential oil belonged to specimens, which were collected from Shabil, (Shabil region locates in Sabalan Mountain with 2700 m a.s.l). But in three above-mentioned sites conditions the essential oil percents in the basis of dry weight were as follows: Ardabil 1.08%, Khalkhal 1.175% and Meshkin shahr 0.8%. The analyzing of essential oil compositions took place by Gc and Gc /Ms systems. The major constituent on wild condition were 1.8 cineol (50.90%) and Citronellyl acetate and on cultivated conditions was the 1- 8 cineol took place on the highest position (39.90% in Ardabil medicinal plant research station). Result showed that the number of chemical composition on wild condition were between 19-20 but in three above-mentioned sites conditions ( khalkhal , samian and meskinshahr researche stations) had 45 , 39 and 37 respectively .